“THE HEALTH OF THE EYE SEEMS TO DEMAND A HORIZON. WE ARE NEVER TIRED AS LONG AS WE SEE FAR ENOUGH.”­­–– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Whether we are experiencing something new or repeating an opportunity, the truth is, as long as we look past what it is that restricts our vision then we will never tire of it. This last week was filled with several new opportunities and several ones that I have already experienced. We started the week with a new one. I needed a new roof, and for the last few weeks I have worked with insurance, gotten bids, faxed and made more phone calls than I would have liked to have filled my time but I learned a few things that made it worth it. The newness of it was in itself a learning process since I didn’t know what ice and water shield is, how much dumpsters cost, and how they measure the amount of shingles needed. By the end I was speaking “roofer”. I think in 20 years when I need a new roof I will be able to say what the dumpster said, “Bin there, dump that.” It may be a pun on words but it at least made me laugh and I had to take a picture. But I learned a lesson with all the added work. I learned that learning can never get old and it is never a waste of time.

The middle of last week allowed me to host my niece for a breakfast full of fruit and Nutella crepes, quiche and fruit salad the day she was to enter the Mission Training Center (MTC) to serve a full time mission to Montreal Canada, French speaking. It was such a pleasure to have her in my home, just as all the nieces and nephews I have taken to the MTC have been. I counted that I have taken Sister Slade (Now in Washington), Elder Wilkinson (now in Australia), Elder Slade (now in Florida) and Sister Cummings (at MTC learning French to go to Canada). The process has not changed for these missionaries. We stop and take pictures, we pull up to the MTC and take out their luggage and within 3 minutes we are seeing them wave goodbye fully ready to serve the Lord. These are 18 year old boys and 19 year old girls who have saved and worked hard all their lives in order to serve a mission. The spirit they carry of excitement and confidence is palpable. So no matter how many missionaries I get the opportunity to drop off, and literally be the last family member to see them off, it will never ever get old.

This week I was blessed with the first glimpse of what the painting of my third book, To Refine Like Silver, will look like. The chance to see artistic talent convert a scene from my book into something visual is a feeling that is indescribable. It literally gives me goose bumps. Rebecca Watkins is so very talented that often I feel humbled that I even found her to do these paintings. More often than not, I learn that I should just trust her with whatever she wants to do because any corrections that I suggest often make more problems than they solve. The truth is, how often in life do we make more problems than we solve? I for one have been there, done that. And even though I have gone through this process of getting updates from the painter, it never gets old. I still let out an audible giggle and hope I always find that joy.

I found the quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson that explains how I feel. He says, “The health of the eye seems to demand a horizon. We are never tired as long as we see far enough.” Our hearts and minds tend to need limits or deadlines, but perhaps what we need is to push those limits. Perhaps we need to see the joy in the extra trial we have, like the stress of finding a roofer so that we can learn the lessons of life. Perhaps we need to relish in the repeated experience, like dropping off my niece at the MTC, and know that we were there in a part of her life that her mother did not get the opportunity to have. And by so doing, we capture the moment, no matter how many times we do it, and make a permanent memory for ourselves and those around us. But no matter what, we need to push our horizons and see further than our minds feel comfortable. We need to see the second in the minute, and the minute in the hour, and the hour in the day. Each step, no matter how often we have “been there, done that”, is priceless and fulfilling. It is our job to make sure it never gets old. Finding joy in the moment is where true happiness comes from. What have you taken for granted this week? Jeanna Ellsworth Hey Lady Publications

I have taken my family for granted. My mom is 80 and she collapsed today & is in the hospital. I need to spend more time with her and my dad and appreciate them more.

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Jeanna Ellsworth

7/8/2014 05:32:37 pm

I think we all take our families for granted. Every once in a while I make sure to write a letter to my daughters to let them know just how valuable they are. The mere act itself makes me remember and set my priorities straight. Your comment influenced me to do that this week. Two out of the three have been written. Thanks for commenting, Deborah. I'm glad you liked the cover.

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Deborah

7/9/2014 12:22:08 pm

I'm glad this influenced you to write your daughters. It was a wakeup call for me. Just glad it didn't come too late.

Deborah

7/7/2014 11:23:06 am

Forgot to say.... I love the cover and can't wait to read the book.

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About the Author

Jeanna is a mother of three daughters, all whom are well versed in Pride and Prejudice; they are her best friends and the inspiration for her writing. She also proudly states she is the eighth of thirteen children. When she isn’t blogging, gardening, cooking, or raising chickens—or more realistically, writing—she is thoroughly ignoring her house for a few hours at a time in order to read yet another romance novel. Somewhere between being a mom, sister, writer, and cook, she squeezes in three 12-hour shifts each week as a Registered Nurse in a Neurological ICU. She finds great joy in her writing and claims she has never been happier.

Jeanna fell in love again with Jane Austen when she was introduced to the incredible world of Jane Austen inspired fiction. She can never adequately thank the fellow authors who mentored her and encouraged her to write her first novel. Through writing, Jeanna has gained something that no one can take away from her: hope for her own Mr. Darcy. More than anything, she hopes to prepare her three best friends to look for their own Mr. Darcy and to settle for nothing less. Jeanna’s works include: Mr. Darcy’s Promise, Pride and Persistence, To Refine Like Silver, Hope For Mr. Darcy, and Hope For Fitzwilliam. She is eagerly working on her first attempt at an original Regency romance novel: Inspired By Grace. For more information on these books, please visit her website, www.HeyLadyPublications.com